


I don't like sand

by lemonchase



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Banter, Beach Volleyball, Bickering, Friendship, Gen, Humor, I will hint at some things that happen in the manga though I won't spoil anything outright, Insults, POV Kageyama Tobio, POV Male Character, POV Third Person, Rated T for Mild Language, Slice of Life, takes place after Nationals, talking about volleyball
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-21
Updated: 2020-11-23
Packaged: 2021-03-09 05:34:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,921
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27138742
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lemonchase/pseuds/lemonchase
Summary: After Nationals, Kageyama somehow ends up playing beach volleyball with Oikawa, Iwaizumi, and Kindaichi, despite his hatred for playing on sand.
Relationships: Hinata Shouyou & Kageyama Tobio, Iwaizumi Hajime & Kageyama Tobio, Iwaizumi Hajime & Oikawa Tooru, Kageyama Tobio & Kindaichi Yuutarou, Kageyama Tobio & Oikawa Tooru
Comments: 24
Kudos: 85





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> SPOILER WARNING: I will hint at some things that happen in the manga, though I won't spoil anything outright. You have been warned.

Tobio always turns his brain off when he goes for a run, but even his turned-off brain can't ignore it when someone calls his name.

"Tobio-chan! Hey! Stop ignoring me!"

Tobio blinks. Someone is jogging towards him. Tobio's eyes widen, and he automatically stops running when he recognizes the guy. "Oikawa-san?"

Oikawa rolls his eyes. " _Now_ , you notice me," He says and stops jogging as well, once the distance between them is down to about ten yard. "I don't like being ignored, you know?"

Tobio frowns. His mind automatically goes back to the last time he accidentally ran into Oikawa. That was right after he had that big fight with Hinata. It isn't a very pleasant memory. "What do you want, Oikawa-san? You're disrupting my run."

"Rude, Tobio-chan. Don't say you prefer jogging over playing volleyball with your former teammates."

"Huh?" Tobio aks, confused. _Playing volleyball with his former teammates?_ What is he talking about?

Oikawa sighs exaggeratedly. "You really weren't listening, were you? We wanna play beach volleyball and need a fourth player. Come and join us."

Tobio looks around. He blinks when he notices the public beach volleyball court to his right. _Oh_. He completely forgot that he passes it every time he goes for a run. He has never used it before since he isn't a fan of beach volleyball. Playing on sand just doesn't feel right.

Still, Tobio must admit that he's a bit intrigued. Playing against Oikawa is always worth it. It usually ends with him learning something new or having some kind of revelation. Still, he can't help but be a bit hesitant.

"Is this some kind of joke?" Tobio asks suspiciously. He knows that Oikawa can't stand him. Why does he suddenly want to play volleyball with him outside of a tournament?

"No, Tobio-chan," Oikawa says, sighing. "See for yourself." He points towards the volleyball court. Tobio looks at it again, and this time he sees Iwaizumi and Kindaichi standing there. "You can't play volleyball with only three players. Believe me, I wouldn't have asked you if I had another option."

Tobio frowns. "But...why did you even come here without a fourth player?"

"Makki had an emergency and can't come. He called us when we were already here, so we decided to practice serving and receiving instead. That was half an hour ago. Then I saw you jogging by. It's called a blessing in disguise." Oikawa pauses, maybe to give Tobio a chance to say something. When he doesn't, Oikawa rolls his eyes. "So are you gonna be a nice kohai and play with us? Or do you think you're too high and mighty for that since you went to Nationals?"

"What? No, of course, I don't think-"

"Great!" Oikawa interrupts him and beams. And before Tobio can do more than blink, Oikawa grabs him by the arm and pulls him towards the volleyball court. Tobio grimaces but doesn't protest. He doesn't understand why Oikawa has to be so pushy. It's not like Tobio would ever turn the opportunity to play volleyball down, especially with players as good as Oikawa, Iwaizumi, and Kindaichi.

"Don't drag him around like a dog, idiot!" Iwaizumi says once they are in earshot.

"It's fine, Iwaizumi-san. I don't feel like a dog."

Oikawa actually turns around at that to stare at him. Tobio almost doesn't notice that Oikawa lets go of his arm.

"Tobio-chan...was...was that a _joke_?"

Tobio just stares at him, refusing to answer such a stupid question.

"It _was._ Wow." Oikawa looks a bit distraught. "I didn't think you'd recognize a joke, let alone make one."

Iwaizumi sighs. "You're such a crappy guy."

"Hey! Rude!"

"So, who's gonna play against who?" Tobio interferes. He remembers from his first year at Kitagawa Daiichi that Oikawa and Iwaizumi can go on and on if you don't stop them.

"I wanna play against Tobio-chan!"

"I knew you'd say that," Iwaizumi drawls. "But for once, I think that's actually a good idea. It's fairer if both sides have a setter."

"Hey! What do you mean, _for once_? My ideas are always outstanding and phenomenal!"

"As if."

"Uh," Kindaichi interferes, looking nervous and uncomfortable. Tobio is a bit surprised that Kindaichi still hasn't got used to those two fighting after playing on the same team with them for a year. Two years, if you count Junior High. But maybe Kindaichi is just nervous because there isn't anyone to keep Oikawa and Iwaizumi in check besides Kindaichi and Tobio. "Can we please decide who plays against who now?"

To Tobio's surprise, Oikawa and Iwaizumi actually shut up at that.

"Sure," Oikawa says. "How about third-years against first-years?"

Kindaichi grimaces. "That's hardly fair, is it?" After giving Tobio a quick look, Kindaichi hastily adds, "No offense, Kageyama."

Tobio blinks. "Why would that offend me?" He asks, confused. It would be incredibly hard to come out on top against Oikawa and Iwaizumi no matter what. But if he only has Kindaichi on his side, winning will be particularly hard. Not only did they have _communication problems_ in the past, but it's also been over a year since Tobio last set to him.

Of course, playing with Iwaizumi won't be easy, either. Tobio didn't set to him that often in Junior High, but he doubts it would be of much use now even if he had. Iwaizumi's abilities and playstyle have evolved so much that it will be almost like playing with an entirely different person.

"So, you know you wouldn't stand a chance without me, Kindaichi-chan?" Oikawa asks and smirks. 

"Stop bullying your underclassmen, Trashykawa!"

"I'm not! And stop calling me that!"

"I'll call you whatever I want!"

Tobio notices that Kindaichi is starring at Oikawa and Iwaizumi nervously again, but Tobio isn't worried. They used to fight constantly in Junior High as well, but they never really hurt each other or anything. Tobio barely listens to them bickering while he starts to go through his usual warmup routine. The last thing he needs is an injury.

When he's done warming up, Oikawa and Iwaizumi are still arguing, and Tobio's mind wanders around until he remembers something. He pulls his phone out and opens his conversation with Hinata.

**Kageyama Tobio:** _I won't come._

He is about to put his phone away when he sees the three dots indicating that Hinata is writing something. He rolls his eyes. It almost seems like Hinata is attached to his phone lately.

**Hinata Shoyo:** _What?? WHY!!!_

**Kageyama Tobio:** _I'm playing beach volleyball. Won't make it in time._

**Hinata Shoyo:** _Where are you._

Tobio tells him the location, though he doesn't get why Hinata wants to know that. Maybe it has something to do with that strange beach volleyball obsession Hinata developed lately. 

"Tobio-chan!"

"Huh?" Tobio says and looks up from his phone. Oikawa and Iwaizumi have finally stopped screaming at each other. He must have been too focused on texting with Hinata to notice it.

"It's rude to play with your phone and ignore us."

"Sorry," Tobio says and puts the phone away. "So you're done fighting? We can play now?"

Oikawa huffs. "We weren't fighting. It was ... a friendly disagreement."

"Okay," Tobio says. He's not gonna argue about that. For all he knows, Oikawa might be right. Oikawa and Iwaizumi don't look like they are angry at each other, anyway.

They get into position on the volleyball court. After they agreed on the rules - they are mostly gonna play with the indoor volleyball rules since they are used to them - Oikawa picks up the ball to serve.

Tobio isn't surprised that Oikawa still uses a jump serve, even on the unfamiliar surface. But then again, maybe he _is_ used to it. Tobio has no idea how often Oikawa plays beach volleyball with his friends.

Oikawa aims the serve at Tobio, and he fails to get it. He grimaces. With only two guys covering the whole court, it's incredibly challenging to receive a serve as hard as Oikawa's. Even Nishinoya and Sawamura had trouble getting his serves, and they didn't have to deal with that stupid sand slowing them down.

"Don't mind, Kageyama. We'll get the next one," Iwaizumi says from the side.

Tobio nods and gets ready for the next serve. This time, the ball is out.

A couple of rallies later, Tobio finally gets the chance to give Iwaizumi a quick set. He feels more awkward than he usually does when he sets to someone new. And that is not just because of the fact that it's hard to estimate how much lower Iwaizumi's jump will be because of that stupid sand. It's also because Oikawa is on the other side of the net, watching his every move. Iwaizumi manages to score, but Tobio can tell that it was far from his best hit. It looked like the ball wasn't high enough for him. He's just about to open his mouth to ask whether that's all he should change when Oikawa chimes in.

"Way too low, Tobio-chan. Iwa-chan can easily spike the ball three to four inches higher."

"Okay," Tobio says and nods.

"I can speak for myself, idiot!"

"Is there anything else I should change?" Tobio throws in before it can escalate into another shouting match.

"Huh?" Iwaizumi says, looking over at Tobio. "No, the ball was good. Just, yeah, a little low."

"Like I said," Oikawa says smugly. "For a prodigy setter, you sure have a lot of trouble getting used to an unfamiliar spiker, don't you?"

"I swear, if you don't shut up, I'm gonna- "

"Most setters can't get 100 percent out of their spikers right away," Tobio interrupts Iwaizumi. He knows it's rude, but right now, he couldn't care less. Oikawa is starting to annoy him even more than usual. "You're just the exception, Oikawa-san."

When he sees everyone staring at him, Tobio frowns. "What?"

"Tobio-chan," Oikawa says slowly, looking at him suspiciously. "How do you know I'm better at adapting to unfamiliar spikers than you? You have only ever watched me play with my teammates during the tournaments. Right?"

Tobio freezes for a second. He doesn't want to admit that he spied on him once before the prelims for the spring tournament. "Uh ... Ushijima-san said so."

"What?" Oikawa asks, raising his eyebrows. He looks surprised and annoyed at the same time. "You talked with Ushiwaka-chan about me? Why?"

"Hinata brought you up. I just wanted to spy on Shiratorizawa's practice."

"You ... did _what_?" Oikawa asks, gaping at him. "You _spied_ on Ushiwaka-chan? Seriously?"

"With his permission," Tobio adds since that might have not come across right.

"Wha-? Then it's not called spying! Seriously, Tobio-chan, how can you be so-"

"Shut up, Oikawa," Iwaizumi interrupts him. "How come you watched Shiratorizawa's practice, Kageyama?"

"Hinata and I met him by chance after Inter-High, and I asked him whether we could watch them practice. Ushijima-san allowed it and said something about us watching them not making them any weaker."

"Ugh!" Oikawa says, grimacing. "Stupid Ushiwaka-chan! Bet he regrets that now."

"I don't think so. We weren't able to see much, anyway. A teacher or something saw us and told us we weren't allowed on school grounds."

"You still haven't answered my question, though," Oikawa says. "Why did chibi-chan talk about me with Ushiwaka-chan?"

Tobio grimaces. He remembers the conversation with Ushijima very clearly. Hinata only mentioned Oikawa because Ushijima brought up Tobio's stupid nickname. "I - I don't remember-"

"Oh, I can tell you why," someone to Tobio's right interrupts him angrily. He turns his head, only to see Hinata sitting on his bike, glaring at him. "But first, I need to _talk_ with Kageyama."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As you might have noticed, I'm not a native speaker. Feel free to correct mistakes of any kind in the comments.


	2. Chapter 2

"What are you doing here, dumbass?" Tobio asks, frowning. Somehow he doubts that Hinata showing up here is a coincidence.

Hinata ignores his question. He steps off his bike and takes a couple of angry steps towards Tobio. "Why didn't you tell me that you know where a public beach volleyball court is?"

_Oh_. So that's why Hinata's so angry. It's about his stupid beach volleyball obsession. "I forgot. I've never even played here before today."

"You _what_?! It's a _volleyball court_! How can you forget that it exists?!"

"Shut up, dumbass! I told you, I'm not a fan of beach volleyball! I don't like sand. It's too soft and uneven, and it drags you down. I can't stand it."

"Then why are you even here?" Hinata asks and gestures towards the volleyball court as a whole.

"Because I still prefer it over watching a movie with you, dumbass!"

"Ouch," someone mutters, but Tobio doesn't care enough to check who it was. From the corner of his eye, he sees Oikawa dropping the ball and coming over to Tobio's side of the court. Kindaichi follows him after a second.

"I get that!" Hinata snaps back. "I prefer playing volleyball over watching a movie with you, as well. But you could've at least invited me along!"

Tobio huffs. He really doesn't like having to explain himself. "It wasn't planned, okay? Oikawa-san dragged me into this. I was just out for a run. Besides, we'd be an uneven number of players with you. You can't play volleyball like that."

"Oh, shut up! That's no excuse! I don't mind being a ball boy. Just admit that you were too excited about playing against the great king to think about anything else!"

Tobio can feel his cheeks getting hot. He really needs Hinata to shut up before he can spew any more nonsense.

"Fine!" Tobio snaps. "I'm sorry! You happy now?"

That should do the trick.

"You don't _look_ sorry." Or not. Tobio glares at Hinata, who instinctively straightens his back. "I - all right. I'll accept your apology. But next time, tell me when you're playing against the great king! He always gets under your skin. It's pretty fun to watch."

Tobio keeps glaring at Hinata, not knowing how to respond to that. There might be a little bit of truth in Hinata's words, but he definitely won't admit that.

Oikawa clears his throat. "You two _do_ realize that I'm standing right here, right?"

Tobio grinds his teeth and refuses to look in Oikawa's direction. Hinata is so goddamn annoying. Why can't he just keep his mouth shut?

"So, Tobio-chan ... I get under your skin? Is that true?"

"Don't pretend like Kageyama doesn't get under your skin as well, idiot," Iwaizumi drawls.

"He doesn't!"

"Yes, he does."

Kindaichi clears his throat pointedly. "Hinata, did you really come all this way just to yell at Kageyama?"

Tobio blinks when Oikawa and Iwaizumi immediately turn to look at Hinata. It seems like Kindaichi really knows how to get them to redirect their focus, which makes it even stranger that he keeps getting nervous every time those two are arguing. Tobio turns his head to look at Hinata as well, wondering what his answer will be.

Hinata blushes under all that attention. "Er, well, I also wanted to see who convinced Kageyama to play beach volleyball. And I was relatively close by, anyway. If I hadn't been, I might have waited until tomorrow to yell at Kageyama."

Tobio frowns. "I didn't tell you where I was so that you could come and make a scene."

"Yeah, well, how about you stop to _think_ for a second next time?"

"What's that suppose to mean?!"

Kindaichi clears his throat. "Hinata, didn't you want to tell us why you talked with Ushijima-san about Oikawa-san?"

"Oh, yeah," Hinata says and looks like he really forgot about that. Tobio wishes Kindaichi had as well. He really doesn't feel like talking about that encounter right now. Hinata, though, doesn't seem to share his reservations. "So, Kageyama introduced himself to Ushijima-san and said that he wanted to go to Shiratorizawa but-"

"You wanted to go to Shiratorizawa?" Oikawa interrupts Hinata rudely. Tobio notices that his voice sounds off, somehow. Surprised and annoyed and ... amused?

"Well, yes," Tobio answers, a bit confused. "It's the strongest school in the prefecture."

Oikawa rolls his eyes. "I know that Tobio-chan," he says sweetly. "But just because it's the strongest doesn't mean it's the best for you personally, you know what I mean?"

Tobio shakes his head. "No. I don't."

Oikawa rolls his eyes. "Well, I don't know how much simpler I can-" Iwaizumi smacks his head before he can finish the sentence. "Iwa-chan!"

Iwaizumi ignores him. "What Oikawa is _trying_ to say is that Shiratorizawa wouldn't necessarily have been the best school for you. You probably wouldn't have thrived there as well as you did at Karasuno."

"Funny that you say that!" Hinata chimes in. "Ushijima-san said something similar. Well - not really, but it more or less had the same meaning."

Oikawa snorts. "Could you be any more ambiguous, Chibi-chan? What exactly did he say? Don't make such a secret out of it."

Hinata blushes. "I - er, fine. So Kageyama said he wanted to go to Shiratorizawa but failed the entrance exam and didn't get a scholarship. Ushijima-san replied that he isn't surprised by that since he saw one of Kageyama's Junior High matches. Apparently, Ushijima-san doesn't think very highly of setters who won't devote themselves to their ace, as he put it."

Tobio notices that Kindaichi is moving restlessly from one foot to the other. He looks about as uncomfortable as Tobio feels about Hinata bringing the king of the court thing up. Even if it was only indirectly.

"Anyway," Hinata continues. He either doesn't notice the tension at all or chooses to ignore it. "I told him that the great ki-, er, I mean, Oikawa-san also doesn't seem very devoted to his ace, even though he's the best setter in the prefecture."

Oikawa snorts. He looks like he doesn't know whether he should be offended or amused. "You think I don't devote myself to Iwa-chan?"

Hinata instinctively takes a step back. _Ah_. Tobio was wondering when Hinata's anxious side would come out again. "I, er...well..."

"Would you stop with the unnecessary comments, please?" Iwaizumi says, giving Oikawa a sour look. "I want to know where this ends. Besides, he isn't wrong. _Devoted_ isn't the first word that comes to mind when I think of you."

Oikawa mutters something, too quietly for Tobio to understand. Iwaizumi ignores him and waits for Hinata to continue.

Hinata seems to have lost his thought, though. Not really surprising, considering that he keeps getting interrupted.

Tobio decides to help him out. The sooner they can get this over with, the better. "You told Ushijima-san that Oikawa-san doesn't seem very devoted to Iwaizumi-san even though he's the best setter in the prefecture."

"Right," Hinata says and licks his lips, "and then Ushijima-san said that Oikawa-san is an excellent athlete and should have come to Shiratorizawa."

There is a short but tense pause. Then Oikawa takes a deep breath. It looks like he has to keep himself from losing his cool, though Tobio doesn't understand why. It was obviously a compliment. What is there to be upset about? If anyone has the right to be frustrated, it's Tobio. After all, Ushijima wanted _Oikawa_ on his team and not Tobio.

"Did he now?" Oikawa eventually says. "How _nice_." It doesn't sound like Oikawa thinks Ushijima's words were nice, though. Quite the opposite, actually. "Just how many people did he tell that I should have gone to Shiratorizawa? God! I wish he were here so that I could yell at him!"

"Be careful what you wish," Iwaizumi mutters.

"Why does that upset you?" Tobio can't help but ask. "It's a compliment, right? Ushijima-san wanted you on his team because he knows you can get the best out of every team."

Oikawa's eyes blaze and Tobio almost takes a step back. "You don't get it, do you? I know I'm an amazing setter. I don't need Ushiwaka-chan, of all people, to tell me that. And sorry, but I _do_ have a problem with that idiot pretending to know what's best for me and questioning my decisions. And, the way I know him, he probably also talked shit about my teammates, didn't he?"

Tobio nods slowly. "He said all your teammates are weak and compared Seijoh to a fallow field."

"A _fallow field_?!" Oikawa shrieks indignantly. "And you _still_ don't get why Ushiwaka-chan's comment offends me?!"

"Not really," Tobio says, frowning. "Ushijima-san was wrong about that, obviously. Noone at Seijoh is weak."

Oikawa huffs. "Well, if you can't understand something as simple as that, there is no use in trying to explain it to you. You're obviously too dense to understand it."

Tobio half-expects Iwaizumi to smack Oikawa's head for that comment again, but Iwaizumi's attention is sorely on Tobio. There is a contemplative look in his eyes that makes Tobio feel uncomfortable.

"Kageyama," Kindaichi says, and Tobio is glad to have an excuse to look away from Iwaizumi for now. "Wouldn't _you_ be offended if someone said that all your teammates are weak?"

Tobio thinks about that for a second, aware of the challenging tune in Kindaichi's voice. He knows that there is more to the question, though he doesn't know what. If there is one thing he sucks at, it's reading people off the court.

"Not really," he decides to say in the end. It's the truth, and he sees no reason to lie. Kindaichi's eyes narrow, and Tobio is almost sure that that wasn't the answer he wanted to hear.

" _What_!" Hinata shrieks indignantly. "I'm not weak! Nor is Nishinoya-san, or Asahi-san, or-"

"I know that my teammates aren't weak," Tobio throws in before Hinata can keep listing names. "That's why a comment like that wouldn't offend me. I know it's not true."

Hinata looks stunned for a moment, then his lips form into a smile. "You do realize that you just said that I'm _not weak_ , right? There was a time when you said all I had were quick reflexes, speed, and jumping ability."

Tobio snorts. "That was the case when you first came to Karasuno. You'd have to be an idiot not to realize that things have changed."

"Oh, a compliment from Kageyama! That's a rare one!"

"Shut up, dumbass! That wasn't a compliment! It's just a fact!"

"No, it definitely was a compliment!" Hinata insists.

Tobio glares at him and then demonstratively turns his back on Hinata. Intent on ignoring him, he asks, "Can we finish the match now?"

Really, Tobio is getting tired of all this _talking_. That's not what he signed up for when he decided to go out for a run before meeting Hinata at the cinema.

"You sure have changed a lot, Kageyama," Kindaichi says, instead of answering Tobio's question. "I'd say you have changed almost as much as Hinata."

"Um ... thanks?" Tobio responds, frowning. Where did _that_ come from?

Tobio is about to ask Kindaichi that when Oikawa chimes in. "You two can make up when we're done playing. Chibi-chan, you said something about wanting to be our ball boy, right?"

Tobio is so confused about Oikawa's words that he doesn't even listen to Hinata's enthusiastic response.

_Make up? What does he mean by that?_ Does Oikawa think that Kindaichi is willing to forgive him for what happened in Junior High? It kind of sounds that way. Tobio doesn't know what else he could have possibly meant.

It's been almost a year since Tobio tried to apologize to Kindaichi after that practice match against Seijoh. Maybe enough time has passed to give it another try.

But first, he has a match to win.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did anyone notices the subtle Star Wars reference at the beginning of the chapter? Hint: It's about something Anakin says in Attack of the Clones.


End file.
